College Baseball: An analysis of a potential Sunday starter

If you're Texas State head coach Ty Harrington, who would you pitch Sunday afternoon against Texas-San Antonio? Here are a few choices with a few of their statistics from Southland Conference outings:

Option A: 3-2 with a 7.34 ERA. Twenty-two walks in 34 1/3 IP.
Option B: 0-3 with a 14.54 ERA. Eight walks in 8 2/3 IP.
Option C: 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 IP.

Many of you would select Option C, correct? There's a catch with that choice though. Option C hasn't started a game in Southland Conference play and would be pitching on short rest.

Last week, Harrington chose to start B and bring A out of the bullpen, but it didn't work in his favor. Both had poor outings, forcing Harrington to go back to the drawing board.

All signs point towards C starting Sunday, but when the Bobcats travel to Rice next Tuesday, it leaves them with even another dilemma: If you can't trust A or B in a conference start, why trot them out in an important game with RPI implications?

College Baseball: Musings from the Bobcats' 17-2 win Tuesday night

• Texas State looked strong Tuesday night, posting a 17-2 win against Houston Baptist. The Bobcats pounded out 18 hits, eight of which went for extra bases in the rout of the Huskies.
• Laurn Randell continued a strong senior season with a 2-for-5 performance at the plate, launching his fourth home run of the season (a three-run shot in the fifth) and knocking in four runs.
• Jeff McVaney has settled into the role as designated hitter well, raising his average several points with three hits against HBU. McVaney slapped two doubles and also scored a pair of runs.
• Mitchell Pitts is showing he has what it takes to be a solid starter, posting his second win in as many appearances. Pitts tossed five scoreless innings while striking out two.
• Travis Ballew is coming into his own on the mound for the Bobcats, as he's had two quality outings in back-to-back games. Ballew didn't allow a run Sunday afternoon and then struck out four in two innings Tuesday night.
• It also should be mentioned Texas State's four pitchers (Pitts, Ballew, Covey Morrow and Garret Carruth) didn't walk a batter.

College Baseball: Quotes from Friday's 5-3 win

Texas State head coach Ty Harrington on starting pitcher Carson Smith, who tossed the Bobcats' first nine-inning complete game of the season: "We talked to him before the game about throwing a complete game. He needed to step into the moment and do that on Friday night. It's what you expect your Friday night guys to give you an opportunity to do."

Harrington on his team taking advantage of three errors by Northwestern State: "Obviously you'd like to score a few of your runs off your own hits, and we did, but we did a good job of putting the ball in play. We battled and I guess that's the right word for it because we had to scrape to get runs against (Demons starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman).

Smith on his complete game: "It was nice to get, but we have a closer (Garret Carruth) who is trying to work for closer of the year, so it was tough taking that from him."

Smith on what pitches he felt comfortable throwing: "Everything was working well for me tonight. My curveball especially and while they were hitting my fastball early, I was able to keep it down in the last four innings."

Smith on the importance of winning the first game: "It's huge, but we still have two more to go if we want to make a statement."

College Baseball: A familiar feeling for Pitts on the mound

Midway through Texas State's 9-3 win Wednesday night against Baylor, Bobcats third baseman Kyle Kubitza and starting pitcher Mitchell Pitts spoke as they headed into the dugout.

"We were joking, I faced him in high school, that it was just like pitching back in high school," Kubitza said. "If he does what he can do, he'll get a lot of people out and that's what he did."

Pitts got plenty of outs against the Bears after a shaky start. He allowed one run and loaded the bases in the first inning, but didn't allow a runner to advance further than second in his next six innings.

The sophomore hurler tossed seven innings of one-hit ball while only walking one and striking out seven. Pitts earned his third win of the season in the first start of his collegiate career.

"It wasn't so different for me (not coming out of the bullpen), because I started in high school," Pitts said. "I just took that mindset that I had in high school and came out and threw."

And how did Pitts fare when he battled Kubitza in high school?

"He struck me out like nine of 12 times," Kubitza said. "After we both found out we were going to Texas State, I told him, 'I'm glad I'm going to same place as you, because there's no way I'd be able to hit you in college.'"

College Baseball: Some quotes from/about Jason Martinson

Martinson on his 22-game hitting streak — "I don't really try to think about it, but in my last at bat against SLU, I was just trying to get on base so it crossed my mind. I got to three (balls) and one (strike) and was like, ‘I’ll take the walk if I have to,’ but I ended up getting the pitch and did what I could with it."

Martinson on tearing his hamstring after catching his first pass in a game as a member of the Texas State football team — "I guess that was a sign I shouldn’t be playing football. I rehabbed that basically the rest of the football season so I could be ready for baseball. By the end of baseball season, I enjoyed myself a lot more over here and knew that I had a better chance at making it at the next level in baseball."

Martinson on his walk-out music — "It's just a song I liked when we first picked them and it kind of stuck. I was thinking about changing my song to what I used in Alaska, but if someone is well-liked and enjoyed by a lot of people, why change it?"

Texas State head coach Ty Harrington on Martinson playing two sports as a freshman — "He was a dual recruit as a football and baseball player. At some time, he decided he had a better opportunity to move forward professionally as a baseball player and not as a football player. He wanted to devote his time to baseball but I had no problem with him playing two sports. I liked the whole thing, but it was his decision."

College Tennis: A few quotes from Nyssa Peele

Peele on why she left the University of Rhode Island: "The weather up there was very bad. My coach and the program wasn’t as good as it was down here and they didn’t compete at a high enough level."

Peele on her first year at Texas State: "When I first came to Texas State, none of those people on the team were freshmen, so they all knew each other. I was a junior, but I had to be a freshman all over again. I had to learn how the team worked."

Peele on her struggles during her junior year: "I couldn't win because I wasn't mentally tough. I knew I needed to change things, but I was really stubborn and at times I regretted my decision coming to Texas State. I felt like I didn't have any friends here and things off-the-court the affecting me on it."

Peele on recapturing her work ethic during the summer of her final season: "I was really determined because I didn't want to have another season like that and want to feel good on the court. When I got back, even my coach noticed it. It was kind of a rebirth — my senior year."

College Tennis: Some facts you might not know

• Nearly 80 percent of all collegiate tennis players in the United States are foreign.
• Texas State fits the bill with only two of its eight athletes hailing from America.
• One of said players is Anyssa Peele, a senior from Austin.
• Peele is 15-1 this season after struggling during her junior season with the Bobcats. She went 5-11 in singles matches and 14-3 in doubles.
• Peele was originally recruited by Texas State but chose to go to the University of Rhode Island instead. She changed her mind after her sophomore season and found a scholarship waiting for her with the Bobcats.
• To read more about Peele, check out Sunday's edition of the Daily Record.
  

College Baseball: Another letdown for Texas State in Austin

You wouldn't believe, well, maybe you would. Texas State suffered another close loss at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, falling to No. 4 Texas, 6-5.

Everything went well for the Bobcats through the first six innings of Tuesday's game. Texas State held a 5-2 lead and even belted its first home run at The Disch since 2008.

Andrew Stumph crushed his third home run of the season, a three-run shot in the second inning, to put the Bobcats ahead 4-0. Stumph walloped the ball to the deepest part of the park (center field).

Texas State received a great performance from Brian Borski on the mound as well. Borski, who celebrated his 21st birthday Tuesday, tossed seven innings of two-run ball and struck out five. He left in the top of the seventh with a three-run lead and a possible win ready to be added to his credit.

Well, the Bobcats' defense wouldn't let him get the win, as they committed two errors in the final two innings that allowed the Longhorns second life. Texas finally broke Texas State's hearts with a two-run triple by Paul Montalbano with two outs in the eighth.


Player of the Game — It's a tough decision, but Tuesday's award goes to Borski. The birthday boy pitched his best game of the season. Unfortunately, Borski was unable to get the win. He earned it though.


Quotables

Texas State head coach Ty Harrington on his thoughts following the game — "Defense is something that’s very important and critical in the game and I think it decided the game, obviously. I thought it was very well-pitched on both behalves. Both teams performed competitively. I thought it was fun, to be honest with you. I didn’t enjoy the outcome but I certainly enjoyed the process."

College Baseball: Wrapping up a 7-3 win vs Central Arkansas

• Texas State waited a while to bring out the bats against Central Arkansas, but finally swung the sticks in the seventh inning, sending six men across the plate on six hits. The Bobcats tacked on another run in the eighth on a home run by Laurn Randell to beat the Bears, 7-3.
• Speaking of Randell, the fifth-year senior has been on fire recently. Randell went 5 for 5 in the first game of the series and then followed it with a pair of hits Saturday afternoon.
• Randell's home run was his second of the season. He launched his first Friday night.
• After missing several games due to a hamstring injury, Tyler Sibley returned to the diamond Saturday afternoon. He pinch-hit in the seventh and beat out a ground ball for a single. He looked to favor his leg, but soon shook it off and later scored on a single by Bret Atwood.
• Texas State got another solid performance out of Michael Russo on the mound. Russo held UCA to six hits in 7 1/3 innings while striking out six.
• QUOTABLE: "What Laurn has been doing hasn't surprised me," Bobcats head coach Ty Harrington said. "He's a fifth-year senior in this program and he knows what's expected of him."

OT: More on the final press run at the SMDR (VIDEO)

As many of you know, last Saturday was the final press run of the San Marcos Daily Record in San Marcos. We're still publishing, but operations were moved to Austin.

A bunch of great people lost their jobs in the mail room and press room because of this.

Here is a short video we, at the Daily Record, put together about the last run.

Credits: Anita Miller/Tyler Mayforth (Videographers), Anita Miller (Interviewer) and Ashley Landis (Video Editor).

Notes, notes and more notes...

• Texas State continued its erratic play against top-tier teams last night in its 12-3 loss to Baylor. The Bobcats took a 2-0 lead after the second inning, but their bats fell silent the rest of the way while the Bears caught fire.
• Baylor posted a pair of four-run innings and put Texas State away in the eighth when Jake Miller blasted a three-run home run.
• Brian Borski picked up the loss for the Bobcats, allowing four runs in 4 1/3 innings while walking four. Borski fell to 1-5 in 2010.
• In other news, the final men's basketball RPI rankings were released by the NCAA. Texas State finished 243rd out of 347 eligible teams.
• Sam Houston State, the team that won the Southland Conference tournament, finished 71st.
  

College Baseball: Texas State travels to Waco

Sorry about not updating for the last few days. I just wanted to give those who were let go Saturday night their respects.

Now that we're back, we pick up Texas State as it heads to Waco tonight to play Baylor. The Bobcats took two games from Stephen F. Austin last weekend and improved to 9-2 in the Southland Conference.

Texas State could use a win tonight to both boost recruiting and help its chances at receiving a bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats' Ratings-Power Index is currently 37 and could get a marginal increase from beating the Bears (No. 58).

Brian Borski gets the start for Texas State. Borski tossed 6 1/3 innings last Tuesday night against Texas A&M, where he scattered eight hits and struck out three.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

OT: Good luck, gentlemen

Today marked the final page to be printed out of San Marcos for the San Marcos Daily Record. Beginning Tuesday, the Daily Record will be printed in Austin and shipped back down to us for delivery. Many of those in the mail room and press room are losing their jobs. Here's a photo, taken by Ashley Landis, of the four guys in the press room. Good luck, gentlemen.

College Basketball: If it's in the game

A few weeks ago, former Texas State guard/forward Brandon Bush was contacted by the creators of the NBA 2K series. They wanted Bush to help develop the newest installment of the video game series.

Bush agreed and was recently flown out to California where he joined former collegiate and current NBA players at the Visual Concept studios. Here are some pictures from the experience, courtesy of Bush.

Brandon Bush (left) poses in his motion-capture suit

Brandon Bush helps the developers get detail-oriented

Brandon Bush signed a wall where many other stars have

A few notes...

• Texas State posted a 4-2 win against Stephen F. Austin in the series opener Thursday afternoon in Nacogdoches.
• Jeff McVaney crushed his second home run of the season, a solo shot in the second inning, to pace the Bobcats' offensive attack.
• Carson Smith tossed seven innings, held the Lumberjacks to a pair of runs while striking out five. Smith only walked one while striking out five.
• Texas State recruit Blake Bagley pitched a complete game for the San Marcos Rattlers tonight against Del Valle. Bagley struck out 15 batters in seven innings.